U.S. patent application number 15/392582 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-21 for real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Betria Interactive LLC. Invention is credited to David Neil Dyrnaes, Duncan Charles Jackson, Boris Veksler.
Application Number | 20170268891 15/392582 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59852076 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170268891 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dyrnaes; David Neil ; et
al. |
September 21, 2017 |
REAL-TIME MULTIMODAL TRAVEL ESTIMATION AND ROUTING SYSTEM
Abstract
A real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system
having a first mode for air-based travel and a second mode for
ground-based travel, and a method for estimating a time of arrival
to a ground-based destination having a first mode for air-based
travel and a second mode for ground-based travel is disclosed. The
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system is
configured to receive an input designating a ground-based
destination, a request for an available ground-based travel option,
and display an estimated time of arrival to the ground-based
destination based on first data stored on-board the aircraft for
the second mode and real-time flight information for the aircraft
for the first mode. The system is further configured to receive an
update of real-time information for the available ground-based
travel option and update the first data stored on-board the
aircraft.
Inventors: |
Dyrnaes; David Neil;
(Irvine, CA) ; Jackson; Duncan Charles; (Irvine,
CA) ; Veksler; Boris; (Irvine, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Betria Interactive LLC |
Irvine |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59852076 |
Appl. No.: |
15/392582 |
Filed: |
December 28, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62310114 |
Mar 18, 2016 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01C 21/3423 20130101;
G01C 21/3492 20130101; G01C 21/3682 20130101; G01C 21/3676
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01C 21/34 20060101
G01C021/34; G01C 21/36 20060101 G01C021/36 |
Claims
1. A real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system
having a first mode for air-based travel and a second mode for
ground-based travel, comprising: an on-board data store
communicatively coupled to a plurality of interactive displays
aboard an aircraft, wherein the plurality of interactive displays
are configured to receive an input designating a ground-based
destination, display one or more available ground-based travel
options to the ground-based destination in the second mode, receive
a request for one of the one or more available ground-based travel
options, and display an estimated time of arrival to the
ground-based destination based on first data stored on-board the
aircraft for the second mode and real-time flight information for
the aircraft for the first mode, after a predetermined time,
display an updated estimated time of arrival based on the first
data for the second mode and the real-time flight information for
the aircraft for the first mode, the on-board data store is
configured to prior to takeoff of the aircraft, cache the first
data corresponding to the one or more available ground-based travel
options and travel estimation information for the second mode,
during flight of the aircraft, cache second data corresponding to
the request for the one of the one or more available ground-based
travel options received by the plurality of interactive displays,
after takeoff of the aircraft, receive an update of real-time
information for at least one of the one or more available
ground-based travel options or the travel estimation information in
the second mode, and update the first data cached in the on-board
data store with the update of real-time information for at least
one of the one or more available ground-based travel options or the
travel estimation information in the second mode.
2. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system of
claim 1, further comprising: a flight position tracking system
communicatively coupled to the on-board data store, wherein the
on-board data store is further configured to receive the real-time
flight information for the aircraft for the first mode from the
flight management system.
3. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system of
claim 1, wherein the real-time flight information includes at least
one of a global positioning system (GPS) position for the aircraft,
a speed of the aircraft, and an altitude of the aircraft.
4. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system of
claim 1, wherein the plurality of interactive displays are further
configured to display a map having one or more routes to the
ground-based destination based on the requested one of the one or
more available ground-based travel options superimposed
thereon.
5. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system of
claim 1, wherein the one or more available ground-based travel
options is one of a private hire, a ride-share, or a public
transport.
6. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system of
claim 1, wherein the travel estimation information comprises road
traffic information.
7. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system of
claim 1, wherein the travel estimation information comprises
transit times through a destination airport.
8. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system of
claim 1, wherein the estimated time of arrival is based on a
remaining flight time to reach a destination airport, a transit
time through the destination airport, and a travel time from the
destination airport to the ground-based destination by the
requested one or more available ground-based travel options.
9. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system of
claim 1, wherein the plurality of interactive displays are further
configured to display a remaining flight time to reach a
destination airport, a transit time through the destination
airport, and a travel time from the destination airport to the
ground-based destination by the requested one or more available
ground-based travel options.
10. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system
of claim 9, wherein the transit time through the destination
airport includes a transit time through passport control or
customs, and a transit time through baggage claim, as required.
11. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system
of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interactive displays are
further configured to display one or more available lodging options
adjacent the ground-based destination and receive a request for one
of the one or more available lodging options.
12. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system
of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interactive displays are
further configured to display one or more points of interest
adjacent the ground-based destination and receive a request for one
of the one or more points of interest, and wherein the one or more
points of interest includes at least one of a restaurant, a
landmark, a tour, and an entertainment venue.
13. A method for estimating a time of arrival to a ground-based
destination having a first mode for air-based travel and a second
mode for ground-based travel, the method comprising: caching first
data on an on-board data store aboard an aircraft prior to takeoff
of the aircraft, the first data corresponding to one or more
available ground-based travel options and travel estimation
information for the second mode; receiving an input designating the
ground-based destination via an interactive display communicatively
coupled to the on-board data store; displaying, via the interactive
display, the one or more available ground-based travel options to
the ground-based destination in the second mode; receiving, via the
interactive display, a request for one of the one or more available
ground-based travel options; caching second data on the on-board
data store, the second data corresponding to the request for the
one or more available ground-based travel options received by the
interactive display; displaying, via the interactive display, an
estimated time of arrival to the ground-based destination based on
the first data stored on the on-board data store for the second
mode and real-time flight information for the aircraft for the
first mode; receiving an update of real-time information for at
least one of the one or more available ground-based travel options
or the travel estimation information in the second mode during
flight of the aircraft, and updating the first data stored on the
on-board data store with the update of real-time information;
displaying, via the interactive display, an updated estimated time
of arrival based on the updated first data for the second mode and
real-time flight information after a predetermined time.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving the
real-time flight information for the aircraft for the first mode
from a flight position tracking system communicatively coupled to
the on-board data store.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the real-time flight
information includes at least one of a global positioning system
(GPS) position for the aircraft, a speed of the aircraft, and an
altitude of the aircraft.
16. The method of claim 13, further comprising: displaying, via the
interactive display, a map having one or more routes to the
ground-based destination based on the requested one of the one or
more available ground-based travel options superimposed
thereon.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more available
ground-based travel options is one of a private hire, a ride-share,
or a public transport.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein the travel estimation
information comprises road traffic information.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein the travel estimation
information comprises transit times through a destination
airport.
20. The method of claim 13, wherein the estimated time of arrival
is based on a remaining flight time to reach a destination airport,
a transit time through the destination airport, and a travel time
from the destination airport to the ground-based destination by the
requested one or more available ground-based travel options.
21. The method of claim 13, further comprising: displaying, via the
interactive display, a remaining flight time to reach a destination
airport, a transit time through the destination airport, and a
travel time from the destination airport to the ground-based
destination by the requested one or more available ground-based
travel options.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the transit time through the
destination airport includes a transit time through passport
control or customs, and a transit time through baggage claim.
23. The method of claim 13, further comprising: displaying, via the
interactive display, one or more available lodging options adjacent
the ground-based destination; and receiving, via the interactive
display, a request for one of the one or more available lodging
options.
24. The method of claim 13, further comprising: displaying, via the
interactive display, one or more points of interest adjacent the
ground-based destination; and receiving, via the interactive
display, a request for one of the one or more points of interest,
wherein the one or more points of interest includes at least one of
a restaurant, a landmark, a tour, and an entertainment venue.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 62/310,114 entitled "Real-Time Multimodal
Travel Estimation and Routing System" by David Neil Dyrnaes et al.
and filed Mar. 18, 2016.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention generally relates to real-time multimodal
travel estimation and routing systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Today, passengers travelling in most modern commercial
aircraft are able to view the current geographical position of the
aircraft, typically in the form of an image of the aircraft or an
icon that is superimposed over a geographical map. Additionally,
passengers may also be provided an estimated time of arrival (ETA)
to the aircraft's destination, as well as the aircraft's current
airspeed, altitude, and heading direction. This information may be
provided to passengers via cabin displays or individual seatback
displays, depending on the particular configuration of the
aircraft's on-board entertainment system.
[0004] In recent years, major airlines have also begun allowing
passengers to access the Internet using their mobile devices or
individual seatback displays on certain aircraft equipped with
on-board communication systems for communicating with ground-based
networks. Using the Internet, a passenger may access public
websites that provide estimated travel times for ground-based
transportation (such as driving, public transit, private hires,
etc.) from a ground-based starting location to a desired
destination.
[0005] However, the passenger is limited by the information sources
used by public websites to generate the estimated travel times and
suggested routes for ground-based transportation, which is not
based on real-time information and does not take into account
aspects of the air travel. In addition, the ground-based estimates
will not take into consideration the amount of time it will take to
get from the gate once the aircraft has landed at the destination
airport to the passenger's desired ground-based transportation.
Depending on the airport's physical layout, how much foot traffic
the airport is currently experiencing, whether or not the passenger
has checked baggage, and whether or not the passenger must first go
through customs, among other variables, this could range from a few
minutes to an hour or more. As such, any estimated time of arrival
will be wholly inaccurate.
[0006] There is, therefore, an unmet demand for a multimodal travel
estimation and routing system that dynamically provides time
estimates and routing information from point-to-destination for
multimodal travel based on real-time information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In one embodiment, a real-time multimodal travel estimation
and routing system having a first mode for air-based travel and a
second mode for ground-based travel includes an on-board data store
communicatively coupled to a plurality of interactive displays
aboard an aircraft. The plurality of interactive displays are
configured to receive an input designating a ground-based
destination, display one or more available ground-based travel
options to the ground-based destination in the second mode, receive
a request for one of the one or more available ground-based travel
options, and display an estimated time of arrival to the
ground-based destination based on first data stored on-board the
aircraft for the second mode and real-time flight information for
the aircraft for the first mode. The interactive display is further
configured to display, after a predetermined time, an updated
estimated time of arrival based on the first data for the second
mode and the real-time flight information for the aircraft for the
first mode.
[0008] The on-board data store is configured to, prior to takeoff
of the aircraft, cache the first data corresponding to the one or
more available ground-based travel options and travel estimation
information for the second mode. The on-board data store is further
configured to, during flight of the aircraft, cache second data
corresponding to the request for the one of the one or more
available ground-based travel options received by the plurality of
interactive displays. And after takeoff of the aircraft, the
on-board data store is further configured to receive an update of
real-time information for at least one of the one or more available
ground-based travel options or the travel estimation information in
the second mode, and update the first data cached in the on-board
data store with the update of real-time information for at least
one of the one or more available ground-based travel options or the
travel estimation information in the second mode.
[0009] In one embodiment, the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system further includes a flight management
system communicatively coupled to the on-board data store, and the
on-board data store is further configured to receive the real-time
flight information for the aircraft for the first mode from the
flight management system. In one embodiment, the real-time flight
information includes at least one of a global positing system (GPS)
position for the aircraft, a speed of the aircraft, and an altitude
of the aircraft. In a further embodiment, the plurality of
interactive displays are configured to display a map having one or
more routes to the ground-based destination based on the requested
one of the one or more available ground-based travel options
superimposed thereon. In one embodiment, the one or more available
ground-based travel options is one of a private hire, a ride-share,
or a public transport.
[0010] In one embodiment, the travel estimation information
comprises road traffic information. In another embodiment, the
travel estimation information comprises transit times through a
destination airport. In one embodiment, the estimated time of
arrival is based on a remaining flight time to reach a destination
airport, a transit time through the destination airport, and a
travel time from the destination airport to the ground-based
destination by the requested one or more available ground-based
travel options. In one embodiment, the plurality of interactive
displays are configured to display a remaining flight time to reach
a destination airport, a transit time through the destination
airport, and a travel time from the destination airport to the
ground-based destination by the requested one or more available
ground-based travel options. In one embodiment, the transit time
through the destination airport includes a transit time through
passport control or customs, and a transit time through baggage
claim.
[0011] In one embodiment, the plurality of interactive displays are
further configured to display one or more available lodging options
adjacent the ground-based destination and receive a request for one
of the one or more available lodging options. In one embodiment,
the one or more available lodging options are displayed based on an
availability corresponding to the estimated time of arrival to the
ground-based destination. In another embodiment, the plurality of
interactive displays are further configured to display one or more
points of interest adjacent the ground-based destination and
receive a request for one of the one or more points of interest,
and wherein the one or more points of interest includes at least
one of a restaurant, a landmark, a tour, and an entertainment
venue. In one embodiment, the one or more points of interest are
displayed based on an availability corresponding to the estimated
time of arrival to the ground-based destination.
[0012] In one embodiment, a method for estimating a time of arrival
to a ground-based destination having a first mode for air-based
travel and a second mode for ground-based travel includes caching
first data on an on-board data store aboard an aircraft prior to
takeoff of the aircraft, the first data corresponding to one or
more available ground-based travel options and travel estimation
information for the second mode. The method further includes
receiving an input designating the ground-based destination via an
interactive display communicatively coupled to the on-board data
store and receiving an input designating the ground-based
destination via an interactive display communicatively coupled to
the on-board data store. The method further includes displaying,
via the interactive display, the one or more available ground-based
travel options to the ground-based destination in the second mode,
and receiving, via the interactive display, a request for one of
the one or more available ground-based travel options.
[0013] The method further includes caching second data on the
on-board data store, the second data corresponding to the request
for the one or more available ground-based travel options received
by the interactive display, and displaying, via the interactive
display, an estimated time of arrival to the ground-based
destination based on the first data stored on the on-board data
store for the second mode and real-time flight information for the
aircraft for the first mode. The method further includes receiving
an update of real-time information for at least one of the one or
more available ground-based travel options or the travel estimation
information in the second mode during flight of the aircraft, and
updating the first data stored on the on-board data store with the
update of real-time information, and displaying, via the
interactive display, an updated estimated time of arrival based on
the updated first data for the second mode and real-time flight
information after a predetermined time.
[0014] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving the
real-time flight information from a flight management system
communicatively coupled to the on-board data store. In another
embodiment, the real-time flight information includes at least one
of a GPS position for the aircraft, a speed of the aircraft, and an
altitude of the aircraft. In one embodiment, the method further
includes displaying, via the interactive display, a map having one
or more routes to the ground-based destination based on the
requested one of the one or more available ground-based travel
options superimposed thereon. In one embodiment, the one or more
available ground-based travel options is one of a private hire, a
ride-share, or a public transport. In one embodiment, the travel
estimation information comprises road traffic information. In
another embodiment, the travel estimation information comprises
transit times through a destination airport.
[0015] In one embodiment, the estimated time of arrival is based on
a remaining flight time to reach a destination airport, a transit
time through the destination airport, and a travel time from the
destination airport to the ground-based destination by the
requested one or more available ground-based travel options. In one
embodiment, the method further includes displaying, via the
interactive display, a remaining flight time to reach a destination
airport, a transit time through the destination airport, and a
travel time from the destination airport to the ground-based
destination by the requested one or more available ground-based
travel options. In one embodiment, the transit time through the
destination airport includes a transit time through passport
control or customs, and a transit time through baggage claim.
[0016] In one embodiment, the method further includes displaying,
via the interactive display, one or more available lodging options
adjacent the ground-based destination and receiving, via the
interactive display, a request for one of the one or more available
lodging options. In one embodiment, the one or more available
lodging options are displayed based on an availability
corresponding to the estimated time of arrival to the ground-based
destination. In another embodiment, the method further includes
displaying, via the interactive display, one or more points of
interest adjacent the ground-based destination, and receiving, via
the interactive display, a request for one of the one or more
points of interest, wherein the one or more points of interest
includes at least one of a restaurant, a landmark, a tour, and an
entertainment venue. In one embodiment, the one or more points of
interest are displayed based on an availability corresponding to
the estimated time of arrival to the ground-based destination.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of method steps for generating
real-time route information and estimates using a multimodal travel
estimation and routing system, according to one embodiment of the
invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a network diagram of a real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system, according to one embodiment of the
invention.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of the dataflow of a
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system while in
transit aboard an aircraft, according to one embodiment of the
invention.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a functional diagram of the dataflow of a
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system while in
transit through an airport, according to one embodiment of the
invention.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a functional diagram of the dataflow of a
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system while in
transit aboard ground transportation to a passenger's personalized
destination, according to one embodiment of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating ground-transport
demand aggregation of a real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system, according to one embodiment of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a point-to-destination display of an estimated
time for a passenger to reach the passenger's personalized
destination generated by real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system, according to one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of method steps for generating
real-time route information and estimates using a multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 180, according to one embodiment of
the invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 180 is configured to provide
real-time estimates and route information to a user while in
transit aboard an aircraft 100, through an airport 160, and aboard
ground transportation 170 to the passenger's personalized
destination. In one embodiment, where the passenger has a layover
or transfer at an intermediate airport before reaching their
destination airport, the multimodal travel estimation routing
system 180 may be used to provide an estimate to a transfer gate
through the airport 160.
[0025] First, while aboard the aircraft 100 in transit to a
destination airport, at step S101 the user provides a desired
personalized destination to the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 180. In one embodiment, the desired
personalized destination includes a transfer terminal and gate for
the user's next flight where the user is a transfer passenger. In
one embodiment, the user accesses the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 180 via his or her individual
seatback display connected to the on-board entertainment and
communications network of the aircraft 100. In another embodiment,
the user may access the real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system 180 via a mobile device 150, such as a smartphone or
a tablet, connected to the on-board wireless network of the
aircraft 100.
[0026] Optional information, including the user's identifying
information and flight information, and the like, may also be
provided to the real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing
system 180 at the outset to streamline subsequent processes. In
another embodiment, the user may set up a user account that stores
the user's travel information and preferences when using the
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 180. For
example, where the user is a transfer passenger, the user may
provide a ticket number or flight number to the real-time
multimodal travel estimation and routing system 180, and the
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system
determines the transfer terminal and gate at the destination
airport for the user's next flight.
[0027] After the user inputs the desired destination, the real-time
multimodal travel estimation and routing system 180 accesses
ground-based service 140 via the Internet 105 over a communications
satellite 110 or any equivalent wireless services (such as a
cellular network), to retrieve the ground service options
available, such as ground transportation to take the passenger to
the passenger's desired destination, and a delivery service to
deliver food to the passenger after he or she has arrived at the
destination, if applicable (i.e. the passenger is not transferring
to another flight). In one embodiment, the ground-based service 140
comprises a plurality of ground-based service provider systems
coupled to the real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing
system 180.
[0028] The ground-based service provider systems may include, for
example, car rental providers, private hire providers (such as a
taxi or ride-sharing service), public transportation providers
(such as the bus, subway, train, ferry, etc.), food delivery and
other delivery services, physical wellness services (such as
massages, personal grooming, etc.), and the like. In addition,
information regarding available lodging information (such as
hotels, motels, short-term rentals, and the like) adjacent the
desired destination, as well as points of interest (such as
restaurants, landmarks, tours, entertainment venues, and the like)
may also be presented to the passenger for booking. This
information may be provided in a number of different ways, such as
only those available lodgings or points of interest within a given
distance (i.e. 5 to 10 miles) of, and/or within a period of time
the passenger is estimated to arrive at the desired destination are
presented. The ground-based service provider systems provide ground
transport service 140 with information regarding the availability,
location, cost, schedule, and/or delivery schedule for their
respective ground-based service.
[0029] Where the user is transferring to another flight after
arriving at the destination airport, the real-time travel
estimation and routing system 180 may provide options to manage the
user's travel itinerary, including booking a new flight (i.e. an
earlier flight where the passenger's flight is estimated to arrive
at the destination airport ahead of schedule or a later flight
where the passenger's flight is arriving behind schedule and the
passenger will not be able to make the originally booked flight).
The real-time travel estimation and routing system 180 may also
display a flight status of the passenger's next flight (i.e.
on-time, delayed, canceled), and any other relevant information
related to the passenger's next flight.
[0030] At step S102, a display of the available ground-based
service options is presented to the passenger, if applicable. In
various embodiments, the ground transportation options may include
the passenger's personal vehicle, a rental vehicle, a private hire,
public transportation, or any other type of suitable ground
transportation. Delivery service options may include food delivery,
grocery deliveries, product deliveries, or any other type of
delivery service. At step S103, the passenger selects the desired
ground transportation 170 and other ground-based services from the
available ground-based service options, if applicable. Optionally,
where the user has logged into his or her user account at step
S101, steps S102 and S103 may be skipped where the user's account
specifies the user's preference for a specific ground-based service
options.
[0031] In one embodiment, the user is prompted at step S103 to
further select at step S107 whether the user has checked any
baggage (and if so, how many pieces), and whether the user needs to
pass through customs. This information may be requested when the
user is transferring to another aircraft at the destination airport
as well. In other embodiments where the user has provided his or
her identifying information and flight information, or where the
user has accessed his or her user account, the real-time multimodal
travel estimation and routing system 180 may automatically retrieve
baggage and customs information for the user from the aircraft
airline's systems. In one embodiment, real-time airport &
traffic routing data sources 130 includes the aircraft airline's
systems.
[0032] The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing
system 180 then sends the user's selections to the routing &
scheduling service 120. The routing & scheduling service 120
returns the possible routing options through the airport 160 and
for the selected ground transportation 170 (if applicable). The
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 180
further retrieves real-time airport & traffic information from
real-time airport & traffic routing data sources 130. The
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 180 then
determines the most efficient route through the airport 160 and for
the ground transportation 170 to reach the user's personalized
destination (if applicable).
[0033] Real-time airport data sources may include real-time GPS and
cellular tower triangulation information from wireless devices of
travelers that have arrived at the airport 160 ahead of the user
who are travelling along the same route as they travel through the
airport 160, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi infrastructures deployed at the
airport 160 that may also provide more granular/accurate location
tracking than GPS and cellular tower tracking of wireless devices
inside three-dimensional building complexes such as airport 160,
wireless baggage tracking tags and bag tracking services for
baggage of other travelers that have previously arrived at the
airport 160, and the like.
[0034] Real-time traffic data sources may include real-time traffic
status feeds from public entities, such as the department of
transportation for the region, or private real-time traffic
monitoring entities, real-time sources from private hire providers
(such as GPS tracking of vehicles for ride-sharing services, and
dispatch/GPS monitoring services for taxis), real-time sources from
public transportation services (either using GPS or other
triangulation information), and the like.
[0035] At step S104, the real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system 180 displays the most efficient route through the
airport 160 and by the ground transportation 170, along with the
estimated time through the airport 160 and for the ground
transportation 170 (if applicable) to reach the user's personalized
destination. The real-time estimate of the aircraft 100 to arrive
at the airport 160 based on GPS, airspeed, altitude, and heading
information from the flight management system of the aircraft 100
is also displayed to the user to provide a complete estimate of the
amount of time it will take the user to arrive at his or her
destination.
[0036] In one embodiment, in addition to the complete estimate to
arrive at the user's personalized destination, the user may be
presented with the estimated amount of time to the airport 160, the
estimated amount of time to transit through the airport 160 from
the gate to customs and/or baggage claim (if applicable), the
estimated amount of time to pass customs (if applicable), the
estimated amount of time to pick up their baggage (if applicable),
the estimated amount of transit from the terminal of the airport
160 to the pick-up location of the ground transportation 170,
and/or any other estimated transit phase (such as terminal to
terminal shuttles or connecting gate) that material impacts the
transit time through the airport 160, and the estimated amount of
time for the ground transportation 170 to transit to the user's
personalized destination (if applicable).
[0037] Where the user is not a transfer passenger, at step S105,
the user is prompted to confirm his or her selection of the ground
transportation 170 and any other ground-based services after being
provided the estimate information at step S104, or select different
ground-based service options. If the user wishes to select a
different ground-based service option at step S105, the user is
returned to step S102 and is displayed the list of ground-based
service options available. In another embodiment, the user is
provided with both the list of different ground transportation
options at step S102, along with the complete real-time estimate
for the amount of time it will take to reach the user's
personalized destination (including the estimated time to arrive at
the airport 160 and transit through the airport 160) for each
available ground transportation option. In this embodiment step
S104 may be skipped.
[0038] If, at step S105, the user confirms the selected ground
transportation 170 and any other ground-based service options, the
user may be prompted to provide or confirm additional information
book the selected ground-based services if the user has selected a
rental vehicle, a private hire or public transportation, and has
ordered pizza delivery to be delivered as the passenger arrives at
their personalized destination, for example. This information may
include the user's identification, an email address, payment
information, etc. Again, the user may avoid having to provide
additional information if the user's account specifies the
requisite information to complete the booking.
[0039] At step S106, the user's selected ground-based services are
booked. The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing
system 180 transmits the booking to the ground-based service 140
and returns a confirmation that the ground-based services have been
booked. In one embodiment, a confirmation number is displayed to
the user. In another embodiment, a confirmation number is emailed,
texted, or otherwise electronically communicated to the user. In
yet a further embodiment, map with the user's route through the
airport 160 to the pick-up location of the ground transportation
170 is displayed and/or transmitted to the user.
[0040] In one embodiment, the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 180 automatically updates the
real-time estimate to the user to notify the user of any changes in
the previously provided estimate and routing information. The
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 180 may
also provide the ground transport service 140 with updated
real-time estimates for the time the user will arrive at the
pick-up location for the selected ground transportation 170. This
way, the ground transport service 140 is able to plan ahead and
arrange for the ground transportation 170 to arrive at the pick-up
location at or about the same time as the user.
[0041] After the aircraft 100 has landed at the airport 160, at
step S161, the user's mobile device 150 accesses the routing &
scheduling service 120 and the real-time airport & traffic
routing data sources 130, retrieves the routing information and
estimated time to transit through the airport 160, and displays the
information to the user. If the user has checked baggage, at step
S163, the user is routed to the baggage claim and at step S164, the
estimated time for the user's baggage to arrive at the baggage
claim is displayed. In one embodiment, at step S165, the user's
baggage status (for example, on the aircraft 100, in transit to the
terminal of the airport 160, arriving at the baggage claim, etc.)
is also displayed to the user. In one embodiment, where the user
must also pass through customs and immigration, the estimated time
to transit through customs and immigration is also displayed to the
user.
[0042] Where the user is not a transfer passenger, at step S167,
the user confirms pickup of the user's baggage and the user's
mobile device, at step S166, retrieves the status of the ground
transportation 170 from ground transport service 140, and displays
the status of the ground transportation 170 (for example, awaiting
pick-up, on the way, will arrive in x minutes, etc.) to the user.
If the user did not check any baggage, or does not require any
other intermediate activity in the airport 160 before heading to
the pick-up location, then at step S162 the user confirms his or
her arrival at the terminal and the mobile device 150 directly
displays the status of the ground transportation 170.
[0043] After the user has arrived at the pick-up location for the
ground transportation 170, and is in transit to the user's
personalized destination, at step S172, the user's mobile device
150 accesses the routing & scheduling service 120 and the
real-time airport & traffic routing data sources 130, and
displays the route for the ground transportation 170 to the user's
personalized destination and the estimated time it will take to
arrive. At step S173, the ground transportation 170 arrives at the
user's personalized destination, and at step S174, the user's
mobile device displays a journey completion status to the user. In
one embodiment, where the user has ordered other ground-based
services (such as food delivery), at step S175 the ground-based
service status is also displayed on the user's mobile device. The
ground-based service status may include an indication of whether
the ground-based service is departing, in transit, or about to
arrive at the user's personalized destination, along with an
estimated time for the ground-based service to arrive at the user's
personalized destination.
[0044] In one embodiment, a central server 190 comprising one or
more computer systems is used to consolidate management of
information to and from routing & scheduling service 120,
real-time airport & traffic routing data sources 130, and
ground transport service 140. In this embodiment, the seat-back
display on board the aircraft 100 or mobile device 150 of the user
need only access a centralized location in order to receive and
transmit information from routing & scheduling service 120,
real-time airport & traffic routing data sources 130, and
ground transport service 140. In one embodiment, the central server
190 may comprise a cloud computing platform. In other embodiments,
the central server 190 may comprise one or more computers installed
on the aircraft 160, or any combination of computing systems based
on the ground and in the air.
[0045] In one embodiment, the central server 190 continually builds
a historical record and statistical averages of the real-time
information received from the real-time airport & traffic
routing data sources 130. By doing so, the central server 190 can
provide time estimates and routing information based on either
current real-time information received from the real-time airport
& traffic routing data sources 130, or the historical record
and statistical averages where there may not be a statistically
sufficient number of current real-time information sources
available for a realistic time estimate and route. In one
embodiment, the central server 190 regularly copies the historical
record and statistical averages information to an on-board data
storage location aboard the aircraft 100. This way, even if the
aircraft 100 experiences a loss of connectivity, the user can still
provided with a complete time estimate and routing information
based upon the latest available current real-time information prior
to the loss of connectivity and the historical record and
statistical averages information.
[0046] FIG. 2 is a network diagram of a real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 280, according to one embodiment of
the invention. As shown in FIG. 2, global positioning system (GPS)
satellite 201 is connected to the GPS tracking system 202 of the
aircraft 200. The GPS satellite 201 provides geographical
positioning information to the GPS tracking system 202, which then
feeds the information to the aircraft light management system 204.
The aircraft flight management system 204 tracks the airspeed,
altitude, and heading direction, among other information, in
real-time from various sensors and instruments installed aboard the
aircraft 200 to help guide the aircraft 200 along the planned
flight route. In other embodiments, the position and/or other
information related to the aircraft 200 (such as airspeed,
altitude, heading direction, etc.) may be provided by any suitable
flight position tracking system that determines the current
position and/or information related to the aircraft 200, including,
for example, a direct GPS tracking system, an aircraft proximity
warning system, a radio-frequency broadcast system, a mobile device
coupled to a GPS system, etc.
[0047] The aircraft avionics network 206 provides one-way data flow
of the real-time geographical positioning, airspeed, altitude, and
heading direction information to the in-flight entertainment &
communications private network 208. The aircraft avionics network
206 only provides one-way data flow in order to prevent
unauthorized access to the aircraft flight management system and
other critical avionics equipment within the aircraft avionics
network 206. The information provided by the aircraft avionics
network 206 may be used to dynamically generate an estimated time
to arrive at the destination airport while the aircraft 200 is in
transit. The in-flight entertainment & communications private
network 208 links the on-board data store 210, the passenger
interactive displays 220 (for example, the passenger's individual
seat-back display or a wireless mobile device) to the off-aircraft
network gateway 212. On-aircraft wireless access point 216 which
provides in-flight public wireless network 218 is also connected to
the off-aircraft network gateway 212.
[0048] The off-aircraft network gateway 212 is connected to a
communications satellite or cellular modem 214 that is configured
to communicate with a communications satellite 222 transmitting and
receiving information from the ground-based station & network
gateway 224. In this manner, the ground-based services 230 that
provide real-time routing information, estimated transit times for
ground-based transit, and ground-based service information is able
to send this information through the public internet 228 and the
ground-based private network 226 to the in-flight entertainment
& communications private network 208 aboard the aircraft 200 to
be displayed by the passenger interactive displays 220 along with
the estimated time to reach the destination airport to provide a
complete point-to-destination time estimate based upon real-time
data sources both in the air and on the ground. Information
received from the ground-based services 230 may also be cached in
the on-board data store 210 so that an estimate may still be
provided based upon the latest real-time information in case the
aircraft 200 experiences a loss in connectivity between the
off-aircraft network gateway 212 and the ground-based station &
network gateway 224.
[0049] Ground-based service information may be cached in the
on-board data store 210 from the ground-based services 230 prior to
each flight before takeoff based on the destination airport of the
aircraft 200. The cached ground-based service information may be
updated during the flight depending on available connectivity
between the off-aircraft network gateway 212 and the ground-based
station & network gateway 224. In this manner, the real-time
multimodal travel estimation and routing system 280 can provide a
seamless user experience to users traveling aboard the aircraft
200, providing the latest available routing information, estimated
transit times, and ground-based service information for planning
and booking ground-based transportation and other services, despite
the practical real-world limitations of connectivity between the
off-aircraft network gateway 212 and ground-based station &
network gateway 224 (e.g., loss of connectivity while in-flight due
to weather, environmental interference, hardware limitations,
etc.).
[0050] Similarly, the requested booking transaction for
ground-based transportation or other services may be cached in the
on-board data store 210 for completion after the aircraft 200
arrives at the destination airport. After landing at the
destination airport, the cached booking transaction can be
completed via the off-aircraft network gateway 212 transmitting the
booking transaction cached in the on-board data store 210 to the
ground-based station & network gateway 224. The ground-based
station & network gateway 224 passes the requested booking
transaction to the ground-based services 230. By caching the
booking transaction made in-flight and delaying the completion of
the transaction until after the aircraft 200 has landed at the
destination airport, any potential issues that may arise due to a
loss of connectivity between the off-aircraft network gateway 212
and ground-based station & network gateway 224 while the
aircraft 200 is in-flight can be avoided.
[0051] Additionally, caching the booking transaction in the
on-board data store 210 for completion after the aircraft 200 lands
at the destination airport provides the desired ground-based
transportation and other services with more certainty regarding the
timing and scheduling of the requested service as oftentimes, the
estimated arrival time of the aircraft 200 may be affected by a
number of environmental factors, such as airport congestion,
inclement weather, failed landing attempts, etc., requiring the
ground-based transportation or other services to make necessary
adjustments to ensure that the requested ground-based
transportation or other services arrive in a timely manner. Such
unanticipated adjustments will necessarily result in inefficiencies
that could otherwise be avoided by delaying completion of the
transaction until after the aircraft 200 arrives at the destination
airport, thereby assuring the requested ground-based transportation
or other services that the customer has arrived and allows for more
accurate and efficient scheduling for the requested ground-based
transportation or other services.
[0052] FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of the dataflow of a
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 380 while
in transit aboard an aircraft, according to one embodiment of the
invention. As shown in FIG. 3, passenger 300 and other passengers
301 aboard an aircraft may access the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 380 via a passenger display 303. In
one embodiment, passenger display 303 comprises a seatback or
wireless display connected to the on-board entertainment and
communications network of the aircraft. In another embodiment,
passenger display 303 comprises a mobile device, such as a
smartphone or a tablet, connected to the on-board wireless network
of the aircraft.
[0053] When passenger 300 opens the destination planning display
310 on the passenger display 303, the passenger display 303 sends a
destination map display request 322 to the on-board service 305. In
one embodiment, the on-board service 305 comprises the on-board
entertainment and communications network of the aircraft. In
another embodiment, the on-board service 305 comprises application
software installed on a mobile device connected to the on-board
wireless network and the on-board entertainment and communications
network of the aircraft. In one embodiment, the destination map
display request 322 includes the desired personalized destination
of the passenger 300.
[0054] In response to the destination map display request 322, the
on-board service 305 retrieves destination map data 334 from the
on-board data store 309. Additionally, if the on-board service 305
is connected to the ground-based service 307 (for example, as shown
in FIG. 2), then real-time route data 348 from routing data sources
311 and ride share data 350 from ride share demand 313 are
retrieved by the on-board service 305 as destination routing 340
and ride share interest 342, respectively. Additionally, real-time
route & ride share data 338 is cached on the on-board data
store 309. In one embodiment, real time route data 348 from routing
data sources 311 comprises information from real-time airport and
ground-transportation sources along with routing information
through the airport and for ground transportation to reach the
personalized destination of the passenger 300.
[0055] Conversely, if connectivity from the on-board service 305 to
the ground-based service 307 is unavailable, then cached route
& ride share data 336 from the on-board data store 309 is
retrieved by the on-board service 305 as destination routing 340
and ride share interest, 342, respectively. In this manner, the
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 380 can
still provide the passenger 300 with a complete time estimate and
route information from the passenger's current location aboard the
aircraft to the personalized destination of the passenger 300, even
if the on-board service 305 is unable to connect to the
ground-based service 307. As previously discussed, the on-board
data store 309 can cache route & ride share data 336, real-time
route data 348, data from ground-based service providers 317, and
any other data from ground-based service 307 for the destination of
the passengers 300 prior to takeoff, and may periodically or
continually update the cached data with updated data from their
corresponding real-time sources based on the availability of the
connection between the on-board service 305 and the ground-based
service 307 while the aircraft is in flight.
[0056] The on-board service 305 takes the retrieved destination map
data 334, the retrieved destination routing 340, the retrieved ride
share interest 342, along with information retrieved from the
aircraft flight management system 304 (such as GPS location
information, airspeed, altitude, and direction heading) and
provides a destination map display with routing timing &
ground-based service options 324 to the passenger display 303 to be
presented to the passenger 300 as a display with routing, timing
and ground-based service options 312.
[0057] In one embodiment, the display with routing, timing and
ground transportation options 312 includes a complete
point-to-destination time estimate and routing information to the
personalized destination of the passenger 300 for each available
ground-transportation option, and an estimated time of arrival at
the personalized destination for any other ground-based service
options selected by the passenger 300. In one embodiment, the
display with routing, timing and ground transportation options 312
includes time estimates and route information for each phase of the
journey of the passenger 300. For example, a time estimate and
route information while the passenger 300 is in transit aboard the
aircraft, a time estimate and route information while the passenger
300 is in transit through the destination airport, a time estimate
and route information while the passenger 300 is in transit aboard
the ground transportation to the personalized destination of the
passenger 300.
[0058] The passenger 300 selects a transportation and
ground-service options 314 from the map display with route timing
& ground-based service options 312. In one embodiment, the
ground transportation options include an option to share ground
transportation with other passengers 301 or other travelers on
other aircraft headed to the same destination airport. Collecting
information from a group of individuals, such as passenger 300 and
other passengers 301, may be referred to as crowd sourcing.
[0059] In one embodiment, the option to share ground transportation
with other passengers 301, or other travelers on other aircraft, is
limited to those individuals who will arrive at the destination
airport transit through the airport at a similar time, for example,
within 10, 15, or 30 minutes of each other. In one embodiment, the
passenger 300 can define the time and the option to share ground
transportation with others only displays those other individuals
who want to share ground transportation and will arrive and transit
through the airport close to the same time.
[0060] Other passengers 301 are similarly displayed destination and
planning display 310 on their respective passenger displays 303 as
the passenger 300. Other passengers 301 may, via the passenger
display 303, provide the real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system 380 with their crowd source ride share interest 302
indicating their desire to share ground transportation to their
respective destination with one or more of the other passengers 301
as well. The aggregated ride share demand 304 is sent to the
on-board service 305, which in turn records/updates the ride share
demand 306 within the on-board data store 309.
[0061] In one embodiment, the ride share demand 306 is also sent to
the ground-based service 307, which in turn sends the ride share
demand 306 as ride share data 350 to update/record ride share
demand 313 based upon the aggregated ride share demand 304 of the
passenger 300 and other passengers 301. The ride share demand 313
records/updates the ride share demand of a plurality of aircraft
arriving at the destination airport so the passenger 300 may be
presented with the option of sharing ground transportation from
travelers on other aircraft headed to the same destination airport
as well as other passengers 301.
[0062] In response to the selection of the transportation and
ground-based service options 314, the passenger display 303 sends a
destination map update request 328 to the on-board service 305,
which returns a personalized destination map with routing and
timing 329 for the specific ground transportation option selected
by the passenger 300, which is then displayed to the passenger 300
via the passenger display 303 as a personalized destination map
with routing & timing 316. The passenger 300 can then confirm
the selected transportation option 318 via the passenger display
303, which in turn sends a schedule transport and other
ground-based services 330 request to the on-board service 305. The
on-board service 305 requests transport 344 from the ground-based
service 307. The ground-based service 307 books 354 the selected
ground transportation and other ground-based services options with
the respective ground-based service providers 317. As also
previously discussed, the requested transport and other services
344 of the passenger 300 may be cached in the on-board data store
309, and then transmitted to the ground-based service 307 for
completion after the aircraft lands at the destination airport so
that the ground-based service providers 317 can better schedule the
delivery of the requested transport and other services 344 to the
passenger 300.
[0063] Optionally, in one embodiment, the ground-based service 307
emails 315 a copy of the passenger's personal map 352 detailing the
route and timing information for the selected ground transportation
option to the passenger 300. In other embodiments, emails 315 may
be any form of asynchronous mobile communication, such as text
messages. In one embodiment, emails 315 may comprise both an email
and a text message. This may be helpful where the passenger 300
does not have a mobile device, or if the passenger 300 does have
access to a mobile device, the mobile device is unable to connect
to the ground-based service 307 while transiting through the
airport and when aboard the selected ground transportation to his
or her personalized destination.
[0064] If the passenger 300 does not have a mobile device, the
passenger 300 may be able to access a computer terminal at the
destination airport and print out a copy of email 315 (or text
message, or any other asynchronous mobile communication) with the
route and timing information for the selected ground
transportation. If the passenger 300 does have a mobile device, the
passenger 300 may open the email 315 (or text message, or any other
asynchronous mobile communication) aboard the aircraft while
connected to the on-board wireless network and cache the email 315
on the local storage of the mobile device so that even if the
mobile device cannot connect to the ground-based service 307 while
transiting through the airport or when aboard the selected ground
transportation to the personalized destination of the passenger
300, the passenger 300 will still be able to access the route and
estimate information.
[0065] After the selected ground transportation is booked 354 with
the ground-based service providers 317, the on-board service 305
retrieves the confirmation data 346 for the booking 354 from the
ground-based service 307. The on-board service 305 sends the travel
plan confirmation display 332 to the passenger display 303, and the
passenger 300 is presented with the confirmation details, along
with updated route & timing information 320 if the routing
and/or timing has changed since the passenger 300 was last
presented with this information. In one embodiment, the real-time
multimodal travel estimation and routing system 380 periodically
provides updated route and timing information to the passenger 300
via the passenger display 303. In another embodiment. The real-time
multimodal travel estimation and routing system 380 provides
updated route and time estimate information to the passenger 300
when there is a change in the time estimate or route information
from when the information was last provided to the passenger
300.
[0066] FIG. 4 is a functional diagram of the dataflow of a
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 480 while
in transit through an airport, according to one embodiment of the
invention. As shown in FIG. 4, other passengers 401 that have
passed through the airport ahead of the passenger 400 contributes
crowd-sourced airport transit information 402 to the ground-based
service 405 of the real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system 480. In one embodiment, the crowd sourced airport
transit information 402 may be collected by using GPS, cellular,
and/or wireless networks (including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) to
triangulate the mobile devices of the other passengers 401 as they
transit through the airport. In one embodiment, the crowd sourced
airport transit information 402 may further comprise waypoint
clearance confirmations provided by the other passengers 401 as
they pass through customs or the baggage claim, for example. The
ground-based service 405 then provides the crowd-sourced real-time
airport transit data 426 to routing data sources 413.
[0067] After the passenger 400 disembarks from the aircraft, the
passenger may access the real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system 480 through the passenger's mobile device 403. In
one embodiment, a companion application is required to access the
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 480 from
the passenger's mobile device 403. The companion application
comprises software designed to run on mobile device 403. In this
embodiment, the passenger 400 may input a command 404 to the
passenger's mobile device 403 to download the companion application
418 from an application download source 407. In one embodiment, a
link to the application download source 407 is transmitted (via
email, text message, or both, for example) to the passenger 400
after the passenger 400 confirms the transportation and service
options 318 shown in FIG. 3. The application download source 407
may be, for example, the Google.TM. Play Store.TM., the Apple
Store.TM., or a website.
[0068] Once the companion application 418 is installed on the
passenger's mobile device 403, the passenger's requested
transportation and service options 318 may be automatically
populated within the companion application 418 and the customer
need only hit "confirm," or some other similar convenient and
straight-forward mechanism in order to complete the booking for the
requested transportation and service options 318 (i.e. the
transaction is sent to the ground-based service providers 415 for
fulfillment). In one embodiment, the ground-based service 405
receives the requested transportation and service options 318 that
is cached in the on-board data store and compresses the information
into a link that can be delivered to the passenger 400 via email,
text message, SMS, or any other suitable communications medium,
which when selected, causes the passenger 400's mobile device 403
(or the computer device the passenger 400 uses to select the link
if the passenger 400 does not have a mobile device 403) to
automatically open (or download and then open) the companion
application, or a website any other suitable software application
associated with the requested ground-based service providers 415,
that has the requested transportation and service options 318
automatically populated for the passenger 400 to easily confirm and
complete the transaction.
[0069] Once the companion app is installed on the passenger's
mobile device 403, the passenger 400 can open his or her personal
airport transit & ground transport map 406 containing routing
and time estimate information to transit the airport to get to the
pick-up location of the ground transportation previously selected
by the passenger 400. After the passenger 400 has elected to open
the personal airport transit & ground transport map 406, the
passenger mobile device 403 retrieves the personalized route map
data 420 from the ground-based service 405. The ground-based
service 405 receives real-time rout data 430 from routing data
sources 413 and passes it to the passenger mobile device in the
form of personalized route map data 420. The passenger mobile
device 403 then displays the personalized route map data 420 in the
form of an interactive airport transit view 408.
[0070] In one embodiment, the interactive airport transit view 408
may comprise a map of the airport along with an icon or indicator
representing the current location of the passenger 400 and the
route through the airport for the passenger 400. The current
location of the passenger 400 is obtained using wireless location
tracking data 417. In one embodiment, the wireless location
tracking data 417 is provided by GPS. In another embodiment, the
wireless location tracking data 417 is provided by cellular or
other wireless networks, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless
systems in the airport, that may be used to triangulate the
location of the passenger mobile device 403.
[0071] The interactive airport transit view 408 may also include
estimate times for transiting through the airport, including a
total estimated time to reach the pick-up location of the selected
ground transportation, the estimated time to claim any baggage (if
applicable), and the estimated time through customs (if
applicable). The real-time information to generate the time
estimates to transit through the airport is provided by the
real-time route data 430 from the routing data sources 413, and
delivered to the passenger mobile device 403 along with the
personalized route map data 420.
[0072] As the passenger 400 transits through the airport, the
passenger mobile device 403 may capture waypoint clearance
information 410 as the passenger 400 passes through baggage claims
(if applicable), customs (if applicable), and when the passenger
400 reaches the curb or pick-up location for the selected ground
transportation. The ground-based service 405 records the location
of the passenger mobile device 403 and waypoint clearance
confirmations 422 and sends it to routing data sources 413 so that
the real-time transit information through the airport for the
passenger 400 can be used to provide time estimates to other
passengers that come after the passenger 400.
[0073] In one embodiment, the ground-based services 405 further
reports the location of the passenger mobile device 403 and
waypoint clearance confirmations 422 to the ground-based service
providers 415. In this embodiment, the selected ground
transportation may be a private hire (for example a taxi or
ride-sharing service). By providing the location of the passenger
mobile device 403 and the waypoint clearance confirmations 422 to
the ground-based service providers 415, the selected private hire
is able to accurately determine the real-time location of the
passenger 400 to ensure that they arrive prior to the passenger 400
arrives at the pick-up location or otherwise provide an estimated
time to arrive at the pick-up location to the passenger 400. Where
the passenger 400 has also selected other ground-based service
options, such as food delivery to be delivered at the passenger
400's personalized destination, the location of the passenger
mobile device 403 and the waypoint clearance confirmations 422,
along with real-time route data from routing data sources 413,
allows the selected ground-based service providers 415 to prepare
the requested service for delivery ahead of time so that the
selected service arrives at the personalized destination of the
passenger 400 at or about the same time as the passenger 400.
[0074] The selected ground-based service provider 415 confirms the
ground transportation pickup location & time 436 with the
ground-based service 405, and the passenger mobile device 403
retrieves the pickup confirmation 424 and displays the confirmed
transport timing & location 412 to the passenger 400. After the
passenger 400 boards the ground transportation, the passenger
mobile device 403 presents interactive ground transport view 414.
Interactive ground transport view 414 will be explained in further
detail in connection with FIG. 5.
[0075] FIG. 5 is a functional diagram of the dataflow of a
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 580 while
in transit aboard ground transportation to a passenger 500's
personalized destination, according to one embodiment of the
invention. After the passenger 500 is in transit to the
personalized destination aboard the selected ground transportation,
the passenger mobile device 503 presents an interactive ground
transport view 502. To display the interactive ground transport
view 502, the passenger mobile device 503 retrieves the
personalized route map data 512 for the passenger 500 from the
ground-based service 505, which in turn, retrieves the personalized
route map data 520 from personalized route maps 509.
[0076] In one embodiment, the interactive ground transport view 502
may comprise a map of the region where the personalized destination
of the passenger 500 is located, along with an icon or indicator
representing the current location of the passenger 500 and the
route to the personalized destination of the passenger 500. Again,
the current location of the passenger 500 is obtained using
wireless location tracking data 507. In one embodiment, wireless
location tracking data 507 is provided by GPS. In another
embodiment, the wireless location tracking data 507 is provided by
cellular or other wireless networks (such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth)
that may be used to triangulate the location of the passenger
mobile device 503. The interactive ground transport view 502 may
also include an estimated time to arrive at the personalized
destination based on real time route data 515 provided by the
ground-based service 505, which retrieves the real-time route data
522 from routing data sources 513. Where the passenger 500 has also
selected other ground-based services to be delivered to the
personalized destination of the passenger 500, the interactive
ground transport view 502 may also include an estimated time for
the other ground-based services to arrive at the personalized
destination.
[0077] As previously discussed, real-time routing data sources 513
may comprise real-time traffic data sources, including real-time
traffic status feeds from public entities, such as the department
of transportation for the region, or real-time private traffic
monitoring entities, real-time sources from private hired ground
transport providers (such as GPS tracking of vehicles for
ride-sharing services, and dispatch/GPS monitoring services for
taxis), real-time sources from public transportation services
(either using GPS or other triangulation information, and other
passengers using the real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system 580 by passing the wireless location tracking data
507 of the passenger mobile device 503 to the ground-based service
505 as real-time route data 515, which is then routed to the
routing data sources 513 as real-time route data 522.
[0078] In one embodiment, where the ground transportation is a
private hire, the passenger 500 can confirm his or her departure
504 from the airport via the passenger mobile device 503. A record
of the departure from the airport 514 is transmitted to the
ground-based service 505, which reports the airport departure 524
of the ground transport service 515. In one embodiment, after the
ground-based service providers 517 receives the report of the
airport departure 524, the ground-based service providers 517
reports an ETA 528 to the personalized destination of the selected
the ground-based services to the ground-based service 505.
[0079] The updated destination ETA and arrival status 516 is sent
to the passenger mobile device 503, which then displays the updated
ground transport timing 506 and the updated arrival status 508 of
the ground-based services to the passenger 500. In one embodiment,
further updates to the ground transport timing 506 and arrival
status 508 may be provided periodically, when transport timing 506
or the arrival status 508 changes from what was previously
displayed, or may be requested by the passenger 500. Once the
ground transportation reaches the personalized destination, the
passenger 500 acknowledges the destination arrival 510 on the
passenger mobile device 503. The destination arrival 518 is
reported to the ground-based service 505, and the ground-based
service providers 517. The ground-based service providers 517 also
confirms the destination arrival & drop-off 530 of the other
ground-based services with the ground-based service 505 as
well.
[0080] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating ground-transport
demand aggregation of a real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system, according to one embodiment of the invention. As
shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of in-bound aircraft 600 may be
approaching a destination airport 610 at any given time. While in
transit aboard the plurality of in-bound aircraft 600, passengers
aboard each respective aircraft 602, 604, and 606 may use the
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system as
previously shown and described in FIGS. 1-5 to aggregate their
demand for ride-sharing for various ground transportation options
620. Ground transportation options 620 may include passenger cars
622 (for example, rental cars or private hires), bus 624, train
626, or helicopter 628. Ground transportation options 620 is not
limited by travel on the ground (for example, helicopter 628), and
may comprise any suitable transportation that is capable of
transporting a passenger from the destination airport 610 to their
personalized destination, such as boats and ferries, etc.
[0081] As previously discussed in connection with FIG. 3, the, the
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 680
collects granular ride-sharing demand of the passengers aboard each
individual aircraft 602, 604, and 606, and aggregates the
ride-share demand based on the desired ground transportation option
620, each passenger's personalized destination, and the estimated
time for the passengers to transit through the airport terminal
612, including through the baggage claim 614 (if applicable), and
through customs and immigration 616 (if applicable), to reach the
pick-up location of the desired ground transportation option 620.
Once the real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system
680 aggregates the ride-share demand of the passengers aboard the
plurality of aircraft 620, the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 680 provides the aggregated
ride-share demand and pricing to the passengers filtered by the
available type of ground transportation options 620, the proximity
of the passengers' personalized destinations, and the closeness of
the estimated timing of the passengers' arrival at the pick-up
location for the desired type of ground transportation option 620.
After the passengers on the plurality of aircraft 610 confirm their
selection for sharing a desired one of the ground transportation
options 620, the real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing
system 680 books the desired ground transportation options 620 for
the passengers.
[0082] For example, aircraft 602 may be 45 minutes away from the
airport 610, aircraft 604 may be 25 minutes away from the airport
610, and aircraft 606 may be 55 minutes way from the airport 610.
The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system 680
crowd sources the ride-share demand for the passengers in each of
the aircraft 602, 610, and 604. In this example, a plurality of
passengers from each of the aircraft 602, 604, and 606 are
interested in sharing passenger cars 622 (for example, a taxi). For
simplicity, this example assumes that the personalized destination
of each of the passengers are in close geographical proximity.
Given the time difference between the arrival times of the aircraft
604 (25 minutes) compared with the aircraft 602 (45 minutes) and
the aircraft 606 (55 minutes), the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system 680 may aggregate and book passenger
cars 622 for those passengers aboard aircraft 604 that do not have
to transit through the baggage claim 614 and customs and
immigration 616.
[0083] The real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing
system 680 may further aggregate and book passenger cars 622 for
those passengers aboard aircraft 604 that do have to transit
through the baggage claim 614 and/or customs and immigration 616
with those passengers aboard aircraft 602 and 606 that do not have
to transit through the baggage claim 614 and customs and
immigration 616, assuming that the estimated time to transit
through the baggage claim 614 and/or customs and immigration 616 is
approximately the time difference between the arrival of aircraft
602 compared to aircraft 604 and 606 at the airport 610 such that
the passengers will all arrive at the pick-up location for the
passenger cars 622 relatively close in time. The real-time travel
estimation and routing system 680 repeats the ride-share demand
aggregation and booking process for all other flights arriving at
the airport 610.
[0084] In this manner, the real-time travel estimation and routing
system 680 is able to forecast time-phased demand to the providers
of the ground transportation options 620, allowing the providers of
the ground transportation options 620 to better manage their
inventory at the airport 610 at any given point in time and to set
pricing accordingly. Because pricing information can be set by the
providers of the ground transportation options 620 based on the
forecast time-phased demand and the available inventory at the
airport 610, the passengers aboard the plurality of aircraft 610
will also be provided accurate pricing, avoiding any surprise
surcharges in their desired ground transportation option 620 after
their respective aircraft 602, 604, or 606 arrives at the aircraft
610.
[0085] FIG. 7 is a point-to-destination display 700 of an estimated
time for a passenger to reach the passenger's personalized
destination generated by real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system, according to one embodiment of the invention. This
display 700 may be generated after the passenger provides a
personalized destination 701 (e.g., the Hilton Chicago), and
selects and confirms ground transportation 709 (private hire, such
as a taxi). As shown in FIG. 7, in one embodiment, the display 700
includes the passenger's departure airport 711 (LAX or Los Angeles
International Airport), a departure time 702 (10:15), an indicator
713 representing the current status of the passenger's transit 713
aboard aircraft 703 to the personalized destination 701. The
display 700 may further include the destination airport 705 (ORD or
Chicago O'Hare International Airport) and an estimated time of
arrival 704 (2:18) at the destination airport 705.
[0086] As previously discussed, the status of the passenger's
transit aboard the aircraft 703 to the destination airport 705 may
be obtained from real-time information provided by the aircraft's
flight management system, including GPS, airspeed, altitude, and
heading direction information. The display 700 further includes a
passenger transit icon 707 and an estimated time 706 (2:36) to
transit through the destination airport 705 to arrive at the
pick-up location of the ground transportation 709. As previously
discussed, the estimated time 706 to transit through the
destination airport 705 to arrive at the pick-up location of the
ground transportation 709 may be aggregated from real-time
information sources, for example by tracking the mobile devices of
other passengers through the destination airport 705 using cellular
and/or other wireless networks, as well as aggregated historical
information.
[0087] In embodiments where the passenger has checked baggage
and/or needs to pass through customs and immigration at the
destination airport 705, the display 700 may further include
estimates for each of those phases of transit through the
destination airport 705, represented by their respective icons and
estimated times of transit within the overall estimated time it
takes the passenger to transit from the arrival gate to the pick-up
location of the ground transport 709. The display 700 further
includes an icon representing the ground transport 709, along with
an estimated time of arrival 708 (3:36) at the passenger's
personalized destination 701 (e.g., the Hilton Chicago). As shown
in FIG. 7, the real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing
system provides a current position-to-end estimate of the time the
passenger will arrive at the passenger's personalized destination
701, including estimated times for all intermediate modes of
transit, while still aboard the aircraft 703 in transit to the
destination airport 705.
[0088] As shown and described in FIGS. 1-7, the real-time
multimodal travel estimation and routing system provides a number
of benefits over prior art systems. The time estimates and routing
information provided by the real-time multimodal travel estimation
and routing system are generated from real-time information
sources, if available, both in the air and on the ground at every
point along the passenger's trip, from when the passenger is aboard
the aircraft, when the passenger is transiting through the
destination airport to the ground transportation pick-up location
or transfer gate, and when the passenger is aboard the ground
transportation to the passenger's personalized destination.
Real-time information may be further supplemented or used in
conjunction with aggregated historical information to provide a
better estimate.
[0089] Additionally, the real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system is capable of caching real-time information received
from ground sources on an on-board storage of the aircraft, so that
even if there is a loss in connectivity between the aircraft and
the ground sources, the real-time multimodal travel estimation and
routing system can still provide a complete point-to-destination
time estimate and routing information to the passenger. Further,
the real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system
provides advanced notice to ground-based services so that they can
plan ahead to ensure sufficient ground transportation is available
for the passenger and others using the real-time multimodal travel
estimation and routing system, as well as schedule other
ground-based services to arrive at the passenger's personalized
destination at the same time the passenger does, and also allows
the passenger to make alternative booking arrangements for transfer
flights while in the air prior to arriving at the airport. The
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system also
allows passenger and others to crowd source interest in sharing
ground transportation to save costs, and forecasts time-phased
demand to the ground transportation providers so they can better
manage pricing and capacity based on the forecasted demand and
available inventory.
[0090] While the real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing
system is described herein in the context of air travel, the
real-time multimodal travel estimation and routing system may be
applied to any context requiring multiple modes of transportation
for an individual to arrive at a personalized destination,
including journeys by boat, train, and so on and so forth. Other
objects, advantages and embodiments of the various aspects of the
present invention will be apparent to those who are skilled in the
field of the invention and are within the scope of the description
and the accompanying Figures. For example, but without limitation,
structural or functional elements might be rearranged, or method
steps reordered, consistent with the present invention. Similarly,
principles according to the present invention could be applied to
other examples, which, even if not specifically described here in
detail, would nevertheless be within the scope of the present
invention.
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